First visit to Chi Lin Nunnery in Kowloon

Chi Lin Nunnery is a large Buddhist temple complex located in Diamond Hill, in Kowloon.

The MTR station is also called Diamond Hill – and this time the Monastery is easy to find and sign-posted! Not like the Ten Thousands Buddha Temple in Sha Tin, which we nearly missed.

Covering a space of more than 33,000 square meters, the temple complex includes a nunnery, temple halls, Chinese gardens, visitor’s hostels and a vegetarian restaurant.

The temple hall have statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, the goddess of mercy Guanyin and other bodhisattvas.

These statues are made from gold, clay, wood and stone.

The Chi Lin Nunnery was founded in 1934 but was rebuilt in 1990 following the style of Tang Dynasty traditional Chinese architecture.

The present-day buildings are wood frame buildings built without the use of any iron nails. This construction is based on traditional Chinese architectural techniques dating from the Tang Dynasty that uses special interlocking systems cut into the wood to hold them in place.

The Chi Lin Nunnery buildings are the only buildings to be built in this style in modern day Hong Kong.

We had great fun exploring it, especially the bonsai trees and sea lily ponds are a feast for the eyes – ignoring the harsh surroundings with the tall skyscraper buildings surrounding the place.